Fluid pressure controlled clutch



June 1944- o. R. PETERS ON ETAL 2,351,876 FLU-ID PRESSURE CONTROLLED CLUTCH 7 Filed June 23, 1942 2 Shets-Shegt 1 INVENTORS areal-Raymond P2 lerson BY Fred .H. Sievqns June 20, 1944.

o. R. PETER-SON ET AL FLUID PRESSURE CONTROLLED CLUTCH V Filed June 25, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS Oscar Ra ymond Pcierson FrcdJLSteuens under pressure; air being the pressure medium Patented June 20, 1944 I I i I I T UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE" "E win PRESSURE CONTROLLED cw'rcn I Oscar Raymond Peterson and Fred H. Stevens, Peoria, 111., asslgnors to R. G. Le Tourneau, Ine., Stockton, Calif., a corporation of California Application June 23, 1942, Serial No. 448,082 Claims. (Cl. 192-85) The present invention is an improvement in supported; 'the clutch including and being en-' the clutch art, and the invention is directed in closed by a circular housing 2 of substantial particular to, and it is the principal object to length and diameter. The housing 2 is rotatprovide, a clutch which is controlled by fluid ably mounted on the shaft I bymeans of 'Iimken" or similar bearings 3 fitted in bearemployed in the present structure. ing bosses l on the end walls 5 of housing 2. The Another object of the invention is to provide housing is formed adjacent one end and about a. fluid pressure controlled clutch which is deits periphery with a gear 6; the clutch in its signed so that it does not require adjustment. present embodiment being employed to couple for clutch lining wear; movement of the clutch .10 the shaft I and gear 6 in driving relation. members by the fluid under pressure always be-- A pair of clutch cones I and 8 are disposed. ing sumcient to automatically compensate for within housing 2 inend to end relation and are lining wear. v I splined, as at 9, to shaft I to connect said cones A further object is to provide a fluid pressure in axially slidable, but non-turnable relation to controlled clutch whose design is such that the said shaft. The peripheral or male clutch faces fluid under pressure is fed to the clutch expan- III of said cones are disposed in oppositely slopsion chambers through a system includi a ing relation, and are fitted with clutch linings bore i the c utch pp i shaft; the u e 01 indicated at u. The adjacent and inner surh a fluid pressure feed System making faces of the housing 2 are formed as matching possible the mounting of said clutches in dual female l t h faces I:

r l i n. r in be n a mm Shaft Y I The cones between shaft I and male clutch operation from a common source of fluid under faces 3 are channeled t form ammmr expanpressure. sion chambers I3 which open to the adjacent or An additional bj t of h invention is to inner sides of said cones; said chambers being provide a fluid pr r controlled clutch which of substantial depth. The radially innermost i onstr d so that t m e mounted on an walls I4 of said chambers are parallel to the unbroken shaft intermediate its ends seas to Shaft, and Said walls 13 the corresponding enable said shaft t0 continue beyondthe clutch cones are anned with each other. The chamin either direcflon f0]? coupling to other driven ber l3 .in cone 8 is of a substantially greater drive p radial extent than the chamber in the other cone It is also an object of thi invention provide 1, and he radially outermost wall I5 thereof is a fluid pressure controlled clutch which is conpal-8,1161 to walls a structed, particularly as to the fluid pressure A circular. central hub I6 is fixed on shaft I t feed means, so that the clutch is well balanced, between the cones 1 and a; the portion of Sam permitting its use in high speed drives' cones' inwardly of the chambers I3 abutting A further. object of the invention is to produce against the sides of said hub when the clutch a simple and inexpensive device an y isinits normal and released position.

whi h W be exceedingly eflectwe for the Annular flanges I1 project in opposite direcp for which it is designeflltions into the chambers l3 from the hub; said These LI We accilmphsh by means such 40 flanges being parallel to said radially innermost structure and relative arrangement of parts as Wang of said chambers, and are lippedlas at w fully appear by a perusal of the fomwmg it, to ride said walls insliding relation thereto.

specification y ggi h i of ramp The flanges I! at their outer ends are fitted with In drawmgs s i c 7: 1 the several 5 annular cup leathers 19 which slidably' engage ence dieate correspon 8 P walls I4 in air-tight relation.

ews: v1 Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation The 1 is firmed with concentric an m nular flange 20 which overhangs hub I6 and prog z fg ggfi jg g the parts in normal or jects into chamber I3 in 60121: 8; thye 83351? 1 .M

outermost face of said flange close a u g. mm 2 is mngitudmal semmil 223%: in sliding relation, the radially outermost wall the h Smiling the parts m d ii of said chamber. s flange 20, ata ts outer ggt now more pammflafly to the ha end, is fitted with anannular cup leather 2| id adjacent wall I5 in air-tight reference on the drawings. the numeral which engages sa I i lfi d iga tes the shaft upon which the clutch is Ill but slidable relation.

nipples 23 are seated in outer ends of said nipples passages 22, while the inner are threaded into laterals 25 in shaft I. i of rods 21 extend in circumferen- CompressiQn springs 29 are seated in said sockets about the rods, and the rods 11 are fitted with heads 30 which engage the outer ends of the springs and normally hold the same under comwith the hub It by the springs 28; the clutch linings ll then being out of engagement with the female clutch faces H.

To engage the clutch, and couple the shaft I 6 in driving relation, air under pressure faces I! to forcefully engage with the female faces l2. This looks the cones with housing 2, and the cones and the housing together with the gear 6 rotate as a unit.

Torelease the clutch,

II, no manual adjustment is necessary as the air for multiple drives or the like may be mounted on a common shaft, and all actuated from a commou'i control station;

From the foregoing description it will be readilyseen that we have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention asset forth here While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as occurs on linings do not form a departure assure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

said annular passages, the nipples securing said hub against relative movement lengthwise of Said shaft.

nel therein concentric to the shaft, annular flanges projecting from the hub into the chanform expansion chambers, the surface ofsaid flanges being spaced from the corresponding wall oi said. channel forming annular passages in communication with the, chambers, and passage means for fluid under pressure'arransed in communication with said annular passages; there being another annular flange formed on one clutch member and projecting into the channel in the other member, engaging the radially outermost wall of the latter, said annular passages being in a circumferential plane between the annular flanges on the hub and said other annular flange.

4. A fluid pressure controlled clutch including,

' with a shaft, a concentric housing rotatably but axially immovably mounted on the shaft, 9. pair of clutch members slidably but non-rotatably mounted on the shaft in the housing, clutch faces on said members, adjacent and matching clutch faces on the housing, the faces on the members being adapted to engage the faces on the housing in driving relation upon axial separating movement of said members. pressure fluid means operative to'eifect axial separating movement of the members, and spring means normally ursins said members toward each other: said spring means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced rods disposed parallel to but spaced radially from the shaft, said rods slidably projecting through said pair of clutch members, heads on oppoate ends of saidrods, and loaded compression'sprlngs on the rods between each head and the correspondingclutch member.

5. A-fiuid pressure controlled clutch including. with a shaft, a concentric housing rotatably but axially immovably mounted on the shaft, a pair of c1uteh members slidably but nonerotatabiy mounted on the shaft in the housing, clutch faces on said members, adjacent and matching clutch faces on the housing, the faces on the members. 10 being adapted to engage the faces on the hous- 7 ing in driving relation upon axial separating movement of the members, and spring means normally urging said members toward each other; there being a hub fixed on the shaft 15 between said clutch members, and said spring means comprisinga plurality of circumferentially spaced rods disposed parallel to but spaced radially from the shaft, the hub having corresponding bores through which the rods slidably go project intermediate their ends in supported and guided relation, said rods projecting fromop o-v site sides ofthe hub through said clutch members in relatively slidable relation, heads on'opposite ends of said rods, and loaded compression at springs on the rods between each head and the corresponding clutch member.

OSCAR RAYMOND PETERSON. FRED H. STEVENS. a 

